How Much Water Do You Need To Drink In Arizona?

Staying hydrated in the Arizona desert is sometimes a challenge, but a necessity. The sun here will literally suck the moisture from your body. You can feel dehydration take hold when you start experiencing a headache, lightheadedness, weakness and a racing heart.

I’ve heard it said in Arizona that if you allow yourself to become thirsty, you’re already to the point of dehydration. It reminds me of a funny story when I tried explaining that concept to my parents. I told them, “Once you’re thirsty, it’s too late!”

Of course, the words came out wrong but it was kind of funny to think you’re going to die of dehydration if you become thirsty in Arizona! By saying “too late”, I meant you’re already to the point of dehydration. With the Arizona desert being as foreboding as it is, death normally comes to mind when one uses the words “too late” and “Arizona” together! Perhaps it’s from watching all the television portrayals of people crawling across the desert saying, “Water….water…water…”

In most areas of the United States (I like to refer to them as “normal areas”), dehydration is an inconvenience and easily solved. In Arizona, water is a lifeline and you really have to pay attention to how much water you drink. During the summer months, you MUST take water with you everywhere. If your car breaks down on the freeway, don’t count on someone stopping to help you! You must fend yourself and prepare yourself accordingly. I also suggest keeping an umbrella in your car, too. Shade makes a HUGE difference here. Shade is even more scarce than water here in the Arizona desert! Believe me, shielding yourself from the sun makes a huge difference!

I’m not going to bore you with dehydration facts, but if you want to read all about it, refer to this website. The writer focuses on staying hydrated in the Arizona sun.

How Much Water?

We’ve all heard the recommendation of 10 glasses of water per day. My guess is the people who made this recommendation were thinking of the “normal” areas of the country. Here in Arizona, it’s a different story. According to the aforementioned website, it is suggested people in Arizona lose THREE GALLONS of water per day without exertion. With that said, you have to drink that much just to maintain your current level of hydration. Here is a graphical representation:

So, get ready folks. We’re only a couple months away from the 100’s, and it will continue for months. If you plan on visiting Arizona in the summer, don’t…just, don’t.

I think The Most Interesting Man In The World got it wrong when he said, “Stay thirsty, my friends.”

Thirst is your enemy in Arizona!

Arizona Tap Water

Ok, so I think I’ve established the need to drink water here in Arizona. But, where’s the best water? In the “normal areas” of the country, you can turn on the kitchen sink and pour yourself a glass of water. In Arizona, we have what’s called “hard water”. What that basically means is there are high deposits of minerals in the water, making it almost impossible to drink. When it comes to washing off with tap water, the hard water prevents soaps from working as well as it should.

It is common for the nicer homes in Arizona to have soft water systems, and if you’re lucky you have reverse-osmosis to filter your water. Otherwise, most people get their water and ice from…well, the Water & Ice store! No joke, there is a chain of stores here where their main product is water…and ice! Don’t believe me? Look here.

Many people own the large 5-gallon water cooler bottles and take them to Water & Ice stores to fill up. Otherwise, water delivery is big business in Arizona too. I think the Water & Ice stores should also start selling oxygen for the high pollution days!

I find it highly ironic that the driest state in the United States also has the worst natural drinking water. Arizona relies heavily on industrial technology for its survival (air conditioning, water, buildings, cars, etc). Arizona is not a natural habitat for people. We are just simply not meant to live here!

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No Arizona provides information about Arizona and reveals the truth about life in the desert based on facts and observations.

[…] #1: Bring water. Rule #2: Bring water. We cannot stress enough the importance of keeping hydrated in the Arizona desert. When you sweat and it evaporates quickly, you may not even notice that your body is running low on […]

Great informative article, exactly what I was looking for. I was curious how much water a person living in Phoenix needs to compensate for what is lost in the heat here. I was surprised it was so high though, because I guarantee that no one here drinks as much water as they should. Which may also be the reason so many people in Phoenix complain about chronic fatigue and headaches.

I just wanted to point out that its not ‘ironic’ that the driest state in the US has the worst natural drinking water. It should be a given since we can’t just ‘tap in’ to water that isn’t there. There are no abundance of natural mountain springs so any water that we do have has to be treated (a lot) or brought in from elsewhere (also requiring treatment after transport). If you are interested in the details, this is a great article explaining it – http://phoenixwaterfronttalk.com/2009/06/22/water-in-the-desert-phoenix-water-supply/.

That being said, there actually are cities and towns in AZ that do have great natural drinking water, such as places in Northern Arizona where the desert begins to transform into forests. For example, I grew up in Chino Valley AZ (surrounded by forest, but not really part of the forest) and we had our own well on our property, the water was better than bottled water by far. Now, living in Phoenix, not only do we have a water bill to pay the city every month, we have a separate monthly budget for drinking water. Some people drink the tap water (without filtration systems) and claim it to be fine and that they ‘get used’ to the poor taste. However, there are many health problems that can arise for drinking the Phoenix water. I know that when I have had to drink, within days I would notice stomach/digestive discomfort and headaches. I’ve also heard that drinking the water for prolonged periods of time can lead to serious health conditions including kidney issues.